About

Between May 31st and July 30th, my research assistant (Elena Richardson) and I will be collecting all the data for my dissertation: Assessing the Appropriateness of Hospital Accreditation in the Developing World. This study attempts to determine the appropriateness of the hospital accreditation standards currently in use in three countries in southern Africa (Zambia, Lesotho, and Swaziland) by gaining a better understanding of the development of hospital accreditation in these countries and involving hospital leaders and staff in assessing the merit of the standards currently being implemented in these countries.

Obviously, there was a great deal of planning and preparation that took place before my departure and there will be a lot of analysis and writing that takes place upon completion of the field work, but I expect that the majority of my learning (or the learning that makes for the most interesting stories anyway) will take place during my 60 days of field work. As often occurs with international work, there is still a great deal of uncertainty and I’m sure nothing will go as planned, but the aim is to get enough data to write an acceptable dissertation. I hope you enjoy the journey!